"Sharing can be a way of healing. Grief and loss can isolate,
anger even alienate. Shared with others, emotions unite
as we see we aren't alone. We realize others weep with us."
~Susan Wittig Albert

Through our writing, we walk out of the darkness into the light
together, one small step at a time, recording history, educating
America, and we are healing.
~CJ/Todd Dierdorff



Sunday, August 24, 2014

Homeland Militia Survey: by James Hathorn

James Hathorn

This veteran saw Vietnam some 48 years ago as a weapon control systems mechanic at Cam Ranh Bay, RVN primarily working on F4C-E fighter-bomber aircraft.

In addition to fixing jet radar systems, I saw combat first-hand through travel in country, which involved collecting parts for planes and augmentee duty in support of the Air Police around the perimeter of the base. 

Two tours gave me many opportunities to see and, to a lesser extent, be involved in actual combat situations. 

Counter insurgency operations found me dodging incoming mortar fire, sniper fire, sabotage operations and generally messy war time stuff that civilians cannot imagine. 

When fresh food was available, it was hard to enjoy due to the potential for contaminated fare (i.e. ground glass in sliced tomatoes, etc). But, it was not all fighting all the time. In fact, much of the time was spent waiting for something to happen, while making sure our pilots had worthy aircraft to take it to the enemy.

That is one’s typical experience of the war itself. In addition to the time in a war zone, there was significant training to prepare us for being in it. 

Boot camp consisted of physical training, firearms training, training for capture situations, hand to hand combat training and most of all, self-discipline that would last a lifetime. 

Vietnam veterans are generally in their 60’s now, but the war experience is still fresh for most of us.


This has all been the background for something I am going to suggest:

In the world today, we are faced with a war that is unlike any of the previous wars. This war is asymmetrical, in that it is not state-sponsored, and the enemy is as anxious to die, as we are to live. 

They want a caliphate (Caliphate: a millennium-old dream of a single empire to unite all the Sunni Muslims of the world) that will literally take over the world. 

They indoctrinate their children in this deadly ideology. They abuse their women by cutting off sexual organs, and kill them for indiscretions. They kill homosexuals for being gay. They are taxed until they have no resources left, then they are killed. 

If they convert an individual from faith other than Muslim, they call them apostates (Apostate: a person who renounces a religious or political belief, or principle). The apostate is treated as less than a true believer. 

Our government announced the war is over. The President has withdrawn and critically downsized our Armed Forces. But the war is not over for the jihadists. Their jihad is against all but Islamists and they are all to be killed. 

The jihad is everywhere. The war will not be over for them, until their caliphate is complete. The world will be populated with Islamists and their apostates, if left to their ideology. All other religions and non-religionists will be exterminated -- if America does not act.

That may sound absurd, but it most assuredly is not. Evidence is everywhere. In France, the Parliament is infiltrated with Islamists. In Germany, there are communities where the Islamists do not assimilate into the German culture. Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia are all the same. 

In all of Europe, the Islamists have jihadist training camps and enclaves. The people of the European countries are intimidated and afraid to go into the Islamist neighborhoods. 

Israel is surrounded by Hamas and the Middle East is being consumed by killers. The radical Islamist objective is to make a caliphate of the entire world.

In America, we have seen terrorist training camps.  There are enclaves of Islamists in Michigan, New York, and many other places, that will not assimilate into the surrounding cultures. We have an extreme leftist Muslim in the House of Representatives. 

Our borders are wide open and the OTM (other than Mexicans), (we don’t know who they are), can come in at will, especially through the southern border, where the government will not act.

The radicals are not to be dismissed as an inconvenience for the rest of the world, or the “JV Team”. They can and will be coming here -- they are already here. To eradicate us is their goal.

This message is to stress the urgency of the situation and what we, as veterans and older Americans, have the opportunity and responsibility to do to protect our homeland.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is second to the First, The Freedom of Speech and Religion of all Americans, and purposely so. 

The Second Amendment is to ensure that the people have the granted authority and duty to protect not only the First Amendment, but to empower individual citizens to protect their Homeland:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed upon.”
We, as individuals, who are of good standing as citizens of the United States of America, are the designated "Militia" referred to in the Second Amendment (see above).

In the present time, there is a greater enemy than any we have ever faced. It is time for a Homeland Militia to step up and be prepared for what is surely to come. Our way of life is threatened around the world. For the first time, our liberty is threatened more than ever before, and from within our own borders.

In order to keep and protect the freedom and respect we treasure as Americans and expect with, or without, our leadership, it is time to consider how we can do just that.

There are veterans of all wars with the values and skills that can be tapped to make a difference when our communities are actually under siege. There are many of us from the Vietnam era with the values and expertise to contribute once again to our country. It is time to put our affairs in order.

This preamble leads up to a very important subject that could change the balance of the argument over the Second Amendment, gun control, and power of the American people.

Until recently, Americans have been complacent. The vast majority of the population wants to know, “What can we do?”

The time has come for action. We need to come together to protect our families, our homes, and our neighbors. In order to come together, we need to communicate and communication requires structure.

We have to form an organized Homeland Militia that consists of every able-bodied individual. The exception might have to be active and reserve military and Federal law enforcement. 

We have to organize everyone into a national, standby, paramilitary entity with structure and leadership. This entity should be, under ideal circumstances, a functional extension of the existing U.S. Armed Forces. 

The members would be assigned rank, based on ability, skill, and resources (personal time and availability). There has to be a leadership structure with a commander at the top, regional leaders and local leaders, etc. 

Coordination and communication are essential, so the Homeland Militia will know what to do in any situation, where mobilization would be required. 

Those situations would be times when our homeland is threatened by invasion, as could happen with the expansion of the Islamic caliphate, internal disturbances such as what occurred recently with the Treyvon Martin and Michael Brown shootings, and also in natural disasters.

All members would have a verifiable ID -- ID cards should be issued.  In order to be a member, background checks and clearances would be imperative and required, to ensure that the Homeland Militia is not populated with undesirable and/or criminal types that would subvert the organization. 

A lot of the necessary identification is already available for many people. We have retired police, military, and private law enforcement who already have the necessary documentation, i.e. DD-214, security clearance, background checks, etc. 

Applications for the Homeland Militia ID will need to be designed and made available to all potential members. 

All Americans are eligible, per the Constitutional Amendments; however, in order to effectively communicate, we have to know who the members are. A roster for assignments necessarily would have to be created and maintained.

Leadership would be chosen by methods to be determined, but would necessarily have to be selected through the democratic process. 

The Homeland Militia leaders would have strong coordination with the U.S. military leadership. Caution in that regard would dictate that the Homeland Militia have autonomy, due to the nature of the current administration. 

The Homeland Militia necessarily cannot be controlled by the U.S. military, or government. The whole purpose granted to citizens by the Second Amendment is to protect the people from the government

In these times, the government is adverse to the military and even more adverse to the people being organized, armed, and informed. The Second Amendment is slowly being diminished by the government.

Lastly, I believe the majority of the leaders and ranking members of the Homeland Militia should come from our U.S. military veterans, who have experience, but are not part of the present military. 

There are thousands of older veterans who are able and could serve again and they should be given that opportunity. They are a valuable resource that cannot be overlooked, nor under-utilized.

There are many parts and pieces that will need to be developed for this association to happen.  No one person can do this in a vacuum.  It will take the input and ideas from every one of you who reads this.

At this point in time, this is only a survey.  I do not claim to have the solution. We need all of us to participate. 

Please send your comments and suggestions. All ideas will be coordinated into a plan to be published for further refinement. Please also inform family, friends, and associates you know, anyone you feel would have the character and values to be a part of this Homeland Militia Project.

James Hathorn
Sgt. U.S. Air Force
November 1966 – July 1968
Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam

Armament & Electronics, 
Weapons Control Systems 
F4C-F4E Phantom fighter bomber 

E-mail James


See Also: 
Live Free Or Die: by Roger A. Sanchez - August 29, 2014


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


If you are a Vietnam veteran, you are invited to write about anything you would like to share. Send it to me in an e-mail and I will be proud to post it for you.

Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog.


2 comments:

  1. James, great ideas and thoughts. Except some of us, viet nam veterans have got in trouble years ago for things we really didn't do. And have had to carry that fact with us for 44 years or so. you talk of a group for the U.S. and the idea that if we have been in trouble we're not exceptable for a position in this group. I am a patritot and will shortly be going to the border to help out with the groups there. I believe in the ID cards, but to say because we have had a run in with the courts makes us less-honorable. That is shit! I am a very known and respected person in the community and in this state. I am a disabled veteran, but the love for my Country is great. I signed on years ago the defend this country, and there was no ending date. I have paid with my blood, already and to say just because I got in trouble years ago, I don't deserve to be in a such group. I don't believe during the Viet Nam war every body there was a clean police record person. Not as I remember. So, the idea of picking and choose of folks to help save this nation is stupid. Things happen in folks lives and we don't always deserve it. I will stand with my nation in or out a group such as the4 one you are trying to build. Remember, EVERY WEAPON AND PERSON FIRING IT IS IMPORTANT! Old words of my war. thanks ,Lee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous August 25, 2014 at 12:08 PM - We are only getting ideas and suggestions to formulate a plan for action at this time. There is no including or excluding for any reason.

      I am only one who is making the suggestion but will not be "in charge" of anything in particular. How this develops will be up to all of us who respond with logical ideas. Things like membership qualifications will have to be decided as a whole of Americans who participate.

      My initial thoughts are that practically everybody has a place in the militia. I believe the founders wanted as wide a participation as possible. They left it up to us to decide. Whatever the results of this effort I feel certain people such as yourself will be included. My input is that members will be in automatically unless they are a threat to the militia as a whole and counter to the values and mission.

      This should be very democratic with a leadership by the members from the ground up. Leaders will be in place to administer rather than dictate. They will be in place to ensure communication so everybody knows what to do, where to do it, how and when to do it. Not to decide those things but to communicate them.

      A relationship with the U.S. Armed Forces can benefit us, as the people of the militia, with their methods and training. They would only be related to the militia in an advisory capacity.

      One question that might be asked of those who want to participate might be (if you live in a pro CHL state for example) "Do you have a CHL, why, why not", and, "I prefer not to answer." Then a place for detailed explanations which would allow one to be considered outside a black and white rule. Generally, good, patriotic, and moral people should be members.

      Even without a membership, you are a part of the militia prescribed in the Second Amendment to the Constitution. If one were to be excluded from the proposed organization per se, he/she would still be a part of the militia. The Second Amendment says so.

      The only disadvantage of not being a member would be lack of communication with the broader organization, inability to be part of the leadership, and no ID for those purposes.

      These are simply my thoughts. We need thoughts and suggestions from everybody...

      Anonymous, if you want to give me more information or want to discuss privately, send me email by clicking the link "E-mail James" at the end of the survey message. This survey is on web platforms other than this one. We are keeping a voluntary roster of emails for those who want to be kept informed. For those who want to keep their identity "anonymous" replies via this sight is a good place to be kept as such. This is a long answer but the information here is for a wider audience.

      You are not excluded at this point.

      Delete

Feel free to comment.